West Ham United are considering the manager options available to them as pressure continues to mount on Graham Potter, despite the Hammers’ convincing 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. While the result momentarily buoyed feelings at the London Stadium, questions around the longer-term strategy highlight still exist, with José Mourinho a name of real interest.
The Portuguese manager was most recently sacked at Turkish side, Fenerbahçe, and is currently based in London and seems prepared to return to managerial duties in the Premier League. Mourinho happens to be regarded as one of the most decorated and influential managers in modern football, with persistent records of league titles in England, Spain, Italy and Portugal, as well as two Champions League titles. These circumstances have understandably led to speculation that West Ham would move to bring back Mourinho to England, should Potter not produce a more credible run.
If Mourinho did arrive it would be a massive coup for the Hammers given he still holds the reputation of achieving discipline, tactical organisation and a winning mentality, even if it is late on in his career. The prospect of having a manager of such stature would excite supporters and would provide help galvanise what is a squad that has struggled to find any consistent rhythm in recent months.
Former West Ham midfielder Martin Allen believes it is a realistic prospect given Mourinho’s affiliation with London. “It’s exactly the kind of job that he would want,” Allen told West Ham Zone. “He still has his house in London, and lives in London, so he may now be looking at getting back into a Premier League club based in the capital. Would West Ham excite him? Absolutely. Being near the bottom may even motivate him to get them up the table and rebuild the team. If he wanted a return, West Ham would be interested”.
Potter, who was hired with the task of creating a progressive and sustainable project, has had a mixed start to life at West Ham. The win against Nottingham Forest provided relief, but questions still remain, is the Englishman able to consistently get the team to evolve from potential? We can assume the future for some players like Lucas Paquetá and the new signings from the summer like Mateus Fernandes, will be central in determining whether this current project looks like one that has a chance for longevity.
At this moment, West Ham’s owners have not indicated that change is imminent, but fans can still be worrying about the prospect of Mourinho waiting in London. Just his name alone creates attention, meanwhile, the idea of seeing him in the dugout at the London Stadium is still the conversation amongst fans, pundits and supporters.
If results were to falter again, the Hammers could be turning to one of the game’s most infamous managers. For Mourinho, who has never hidden his love for working in England, the opportunity to run a club in London could be the start of another exciting chapter to his remarkable career.